Improvement in culinary steamers



H. WOOTTON & J. WO0TTON.-

Culinary Steamers. N0. I38,550, PatentedMay 6,1873.

AM. mom 1I77I0RAFIIIC on N. N05120:? -55 mums) UNITED STATES PATENT Orrron.

HENRY WOOTTON AND JOHN WOOTTON, )F ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CULINARY STEAMERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,550, dated May 6, 1873; application filed March 3, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY WOOTTGN and JOHN VVOOTTON, ot' the city of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have "invented a certain new and useful Iniprovement in Culinary Steamers; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and clear and exact description of the construction and operation of the same.

Our invention consists of a culinary steamer, constructed, arranged, and operating as hereinafter described.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section; Fig. 2, a bottom View; Fig. 3, a view of a portion of the grate.

A is the body of the steamer B, the cover; and O, the grate or strainer. The body is made in the usual cylindrical form, and has a flange, a, at the bottom, which rests within thetop of theboiler or pot, and directs the steam to the interior. The bottom I; of the steamer has central openings 0, and also another opening, d, on one side, which communicates with a tube, f. This tube opens at the top into the outer air through a port, g. On the under side of the bottom I) is located a valve,

or slide, D, resting in ways h h, in which it slides forward and back. It has a rod, '5, which passes up through the central opening 0, and thence extends out horizontally thron gh the side of the steamer, and has attached to it a knob or handle, k, by which the valve is operated. This valve is of such length and so arranged that when pushed in it'uncovers the central opening 0 and covers the outer opening cl, and, vice versa, when drawn back it uncovers the outer opening d and covers the central opening 0. By this means, when in the first named position, the steam is all admitted into the body of the steamer, and steams'or cooks the material placed therein; and when in the last named position it is all admitted intojthe tube f, and escapes through the port g without passing into the steamer at all.

This arrangement of the valve by which it performs the double action described, eonstitutes one of the novel features of our invention. The steam is first admitted to cook the contents of the steamer, and is then turned off to allow the said contents to dry before they. are removed.

The grate or strainer 0 consists of a perforated disk raised a little distance above the bottom of the receptacle by short legs m m. It is notched out to fit closely around the tube f, and it also has a raised rim, n, all around, which holds the contents in place when in the act of removing from the steamer. It also has a finger-loop, E, on each of two opposite sides, and the arms 1? P of these loops are hinged at the bottom, as shown at r r, so that the loops may be laid flat on the bottom of the grate or made to stand upright, as shown, respectively, in Figs. 3 and 1. By this construction of the grate it can be used for straining or cooking light substances, such as cabbage, &c., in which case the loops E may be left standing upright; or it may be used for baking potatoes, &c., in which case the loops may be turned down out of the way.

This device may be used for steaming or cooking meat, vegetables, bread, or any'ot-her substance or substances desired.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- The combination of the body A, its openings c and g, the vertical tube f with opening at and the sliding valve D and its supports h h, all constructed, arranged, and operating substantially as and for the purpose described. In witness whereof we have hereunto signed our names in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY WOOTTON. JOHN WOOTTON. Witnesses:

B. F. Osooon, JAS. LORENZO GAGE. 

